Hasp.



No. 656,8l7. Patented Aug. 28, I900.

W. K. HILTON.

H'ASP.

(Application filed Sept 7', 1899.)

(No Modal.)

PATENT Orricn,

WALTER K. HILTON, OF MOSCOW, IDAHO.

HASP.

S?EUIFIOATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 656,817, dated August 28, 1900. Application filed September 7,1899. Serial No. 729,736. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVALTER K. I-IILTON,a citizen of the United States, residing at Moscow, in the county of Latah and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hasps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inveiitiomsuch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to hasps, and is more especially adapted for use on doors, gates, &c., which are located out of doors, where they are exposed to the action of the Weather, and consequently subject to swelling, shrinking, twisting, warping, 85c. Under such circumstances much trouble and annoyance are experienced in the use of the ordinary hasp. For instance, in the case of adoor swung to a post anchored in ground which is subject to repeated freezing and thawing it will be found that the door is apt to sag and get into a changed position in relation to the post against which it swings when shut. Again, the timbers of a door or gate will shrink when dry and swell when wet, or, to use a common expression, will come and go with the weather. These and other causes very commonly result in a misfit between the slot in the hasp and the staple to which the hasp is secured when the door is shut. It not only frequently happens that there is difficultyin passing the slot into the hasp over the securing-staple, but sometimes the hook carried by the hasp and designed to hold said hasp in proper engagement with the securingstaple when the door is shut cannot be passed down through the staple, but will come in contact with one or the other of the sides of the staple. That these and other inconveniences not here enumerated are of very frequent occurrence and constitute serious objections in many instances to the use of hasps is a fact well known to all persons having experience in such things.

The object of my invention is to provide a hasp so constructed that it will compensate for shrinkage, sagging, warping, due, and hence will not be incident to the objectionable features enumerated above.

My improved hasp is fully illustrated in p the securing-staple.

the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and its peculiarities of construction are specifically pointed out in the appended specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a front plan View of my invention having the adjusting or compensating slot located near the center thereof. Fig. 2 is aview showing the compensating slot located at the rear end of the hasp, while Fig. 3 illustrates a hasp provided with a compensating slot at both its center and rear ends.

For convenience of reference similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the various figures of the drawings, in which the numeral 1 refers to the hasp, 2 to the anchoring staple, 3 to the securing-staple, (shown in dotted lines,) and 4 to the hook cooperating with said securing-staple.

In everyinstance my hasp is provided with the usual long slot 5 in the forward end thereof and is usually secured to the door or gate by the ordinary securing-staples 2, though other means of securing it maybe employed, if found desirable.

In Fig. 1 the hasp is provided near its center with the adjusting or compensating slot 6, which movably receives the bolt or rivet 7 employed to connect the securing-hook t to the body of the hasp 1. By this construction it is apparent that the hook 4 can be moved longitudinally forward or backward, so that the downwardly-extending end 45* thereof can always be made to easily enter the securing-staple.

In Fig. 2 the compensating slot is located in the rear end of the hasp, and is indicated by the numeral 6. This arrangement enables the whole hasp to be moved forward or backward, so that the securing-hook can always he brought easily into cooperation with i This form also has the additional advantage that the slot 5 can always be brought forward or backward to easily receive the staple 3, so that when the post carrying the said staple may have settled or sprung from the opposite post to which the door is attached the hasp can yetbe made to follow up its securing-staple.- This is a point of great advantage, and this will prob ably be my preferred form of hasp. When this form of hasp is secured in position, if

the ordinary anchoring-staple is used it will usually be found best to dispose it vertically, as illustrated in Fig. 2, rather than horizontally, as shown in Fig. 1, since by this arrangement an ordinary-sized staple will permit the hasp to move forward or backward the full length of the compensating slot 6 whatever the length of the slot may be.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a hasp provided with both the compensating slots illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, though it is thought that it will perhaps never be necessary to provide any one hasp with both these slots.

It will be observed that the hasp is made of a single piece of material. When so made, it is cheaper, stronger, more easily handled, and not so liable to get out of working order. Furthermore, by pivoting the hook to this piece the parts are kept together in a handy form and are always ready for immediate use.

WVhile I have thus fully illustrated and described my invention, it will yet be understood that any substantial equivalent thereof is comprehended by me.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As an article of manufacture, a hasp consisting of a single piece of metal having a longitudinal slot in one end and in the middle portion, and a hook adj list-ably pivoted in said middle slot and adapted to cooperate with the end slot, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The herein-described hasp, comprising a single piece of material having elongated middle and end openings and a hook movably pivoted in the middle opening, whereby the hook will have a movement relative to one of said end openings and thus compensate for the varying position of the staple received by said end opening, as specified and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WALTER K. HILTON.

Witnesses:

E. E. CORNWALL, D. M. ECKMAN. 

